The present invention relates to a handle with removable disposable surgical blade and blade removal system including disposal container. The present invention constitutes a significant improvement over Applicant's prior invention as disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,187, issued Dec. 31, 2002. The disclosure of Applicant's prior patent is incorporated by reference herein along with all of the prior art cited during the prosecution thereof.
Applicant's prior invention constituted an effective and useful surgical saw blade system including a scalpel detachably mountable to an elongated handle and with the scalpel easily disposable. However, several minor deficiencies in Applicant's prior invention combined together to lead Applicant to the conclusion that improvements could be made to create an easier to use, simpler and more effective blade-handle system. In Applicant's prior invention, the scalpel blade has a fitting with a proximal opening that receives the distal end of the handle. In that system, exacting tolerances in the tapers of the recess in the fitting and the protrusion on the distal end of the handle created manufacturing difficulties. In order to obtain a precise fit between the handle and blade, tolerances had to be maintained within 0.001 to 0.002 inches. Applicant found that manufacturers were unable to maintain such tolerances, thereby resulting in slight wobbling between the blade and handle. In the surgical setting, wobbling is impermissible.
An additional concern arose in that there were circumstances during which the blade could inadvertently detach from the handle or loosen from it during use. Such a possibility is intolerable in the surgical setting and, as such, a need arose to improve upon the blade-handle system to absolutely preclude such a possibility.
In addition, in the prior system, when the surgeon decided to remove the blade from the handle and replace it with a fresh blade, the technique used by the surgeon was to grip the sides of the fitting and pull the blade off the handle. This technique introduced danger to the surgeon since his or her fingers would be quite close to the actual blade edge, thereby creating the possibility of puncture or cutting of the surgeon's fingers, though inadvertently. Thus, Applicant's experience with the prior system led to the conclusion that a disposal system would have to be devised that would permit the surgeon to remove the blade from the handle while gripping the handle and keeping his or her hands and fingers far away from the blade itself. It is with these thoughts and concerns in mind that the present invention was developed.